Activities

The Leake Street Arches

The Leake Street Arches | Underground Food, Music, And Entertainment

If you’re looking for an interesting art, food, and entertainment hub, head down to Waterloo Station and out towards the rear of the main terminal. Once you spot a series of graffiti-covered railway arches…

…you’ll know you’re on the right track.

You see, you’ll be in the all-new-and-improved Leake Street Arches. They’re all connected by the “graffiti tunnel” made famous thanks largely to Banksy’s 2008 ‘Cans Festival’ in which he and a slew of street artists spent a weekend colourfully daubing the entire thing. The place subsequently became, well, cool. One of the arches was home to The Vaults, while others played host to a lineup of several mind bending immersive theatre shows.

Now, the rest of those untapped arches have been cleaned out, polished up, and turned into a space for pop up food, bars, music, art, and entertainment. Here’s what they have lined up for the debut run:–

AN INSANE IMMERSIVE VENUE WITH A VIBRATING FLOOR

Aures London is claiming to be the world’s first 5-sensory immersive venue, and includes 1) a 50-speaker sound system 2) a “scent delivery system” 3) a vibrating floor designed with low-frequency bone-conducting haptics 4) 3D-mapped light projections, and 5) a lot of food & drink. It plays host to a whole roster of events, from club nights to art exhibitions – see what’s on here.–

A BOARD GAME BAR

Draughts London have opened a second branch, with a library of basically every board game ever conceived (seriously, they have over 800), plus cocktails, beers, wines, and more to sup on while you play. And to keep you focussed? Grub courtesy of Jones & Sons.–

A VIETNAMESE RESTAURANT

Banh Bao Brothers are there to supply Viet-favourites like beef noodle soup, or classic bao buns alongside less familiar goods, such as their jackfruit salad, purple pork broth, or clay pot salmon.

There’s more to come at the Arches of course, with a brewery bar, a pair of live events spaces, and a restaurant all scheduled for completion soon, and all housed within their very own railway arches…

…we’ll be tracking their progress.

NOTE: You can find out more about the Leake Street Arches on their website right HERE.